Breaking boundaries: a Chinese woman’s journey in the German media industry

Interview and article by Lin Huan | Images courtesy of Tong Ling

*Since the interviewee has returned to China, this interview was conducted online.

What does a Chinese media student take to secure a competitive internship in Germany’s public broadcasting system? How does one navigate cultural and professional differences while balancing multiple roles—as a journalist, an entrepreneur, a wife, and a mother? And after breaking into the industry, what leads someone to walk away from it all?

This is the story of Tong Ling, a 28-year-old Chinese woman who stepped beyond boundaries to gain firsthand experience in Germany’s media industry.

Born in China, she graduated in German Studies before earning a master’s in Media Studies at the University of Bamberg. In 2023, she secured a competitive internship at Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR) in Leipzig, becoming the only non-EU intern in her departments. At MDR, she worked in the Press and Information and Content Desk, handling program promotions and social media content. She helped manage posts on Instagram and LinkedIn, covering events like the Leipzig Book Fair. Her unique position even earned her a feature on MDR’s official channels.

But Tong was more than just an intern — she was also an entrepreneur. While working at MDR, she ran a milk tea chain in Leipzig and Vienna and a noodle shop in Hannover. Balancing her career, business, and family life, she seemed to have everything under control.

Her story is one of ambition, resilience, and tough decisions. Let’s dive deeper into what drove her journey—and her choice to walk away.

Huan Lin: Could you introduce the specific tasks you handled during your internship at MDR?

Tong Ling: At MDR, I interned in two departments simultaneously: Presse und Informationen and Content Desk, making me the first to do so. I was also featured in interviews on the broadcaster’s official Instagram and LinkedIn, likely as the first non-EU intern to receive such recognition.

In the Presse und Informationen department, my primary task was writing press releases for the official website. However, instead of reporting on current affairs, my focus was on program introductions. For example, I would write about upcoming documentary releases, providing details on the production team, filming process, and content. I also covered local events, such as the Leipzig Christmas Market, informing the audience about MDR’s coverage and when to tune in.

Meanwhile, at the Content Desk, my role centered on new media platform operations. During my internship, more than half of the Instagram and LinkedIn posts published by MDR were created by me. These posts mainly introduced upcoming programs. Departments across MDR submitted their content, and our team was responsible for reviewing and selecting which programs to promote. In most cases, we worked with the videos and text materials provided, editing and refining them before publishing.

However, there were times when the materials weren’t satisfactory or when a program was still in its early promotion stage. In such cases, we had to produce our own content. For instance, when a documentary premiered, we filmed on-site to capture promotional footage. Similarly, at major events like the annual Leipzig Book Fair, where MDR had a booth, we provided real-time coverage and updates for our audience.

Huan Lin: Why did you want to intern at a television station?
Tong Ling: At that time, my business had already reached a stable stage, and my son had started kindergarten. Neither required much of my time or energy anymore. I also had plans to develop my career in the media industry, so I needed to accumulate some practical experience first.

Huan Lin: What was the process of securing this internship like? Did you face any difficulties?
Tong Ling: I struggled at the beginning because of my resume. Following the typical approach in China, I had packed my resume with all my academic achievements, awards, and work experiences since my undergraduate studies, even detailing every project I had participated in. However, a German friend later helped me revise it extensively, removing most of the content and leaving only two key points: my skills from my master’s program and my role as a marketing manager. My initial resume was two full pages long, but after the revision, I even had to enlarge the font to fill a single page. Surprisingly, after this revision, I quickly received interview invitations from several companies.

Huan Lin: Among a pool of European students, what do you think gave you an advantage in securing this position?
Tong Ling: First, I was confident in my abilities. Although I didn’t have any internship experience in Europe, I believed my skills were on par with those of European students. The department required interns to write press releases, which demanded a high level of German proficiency. My undergraduate major was German, and I had previously written German and English press releases for official school departments. During the interview, the department head reviewed my past work. Second, my entrepreneurial experience intrigued the hiring managers. They believed I could bring fresh perspectives and ideas to the department. Finally, my salary expectations were relatively low—they only needed to pay me the minimum intern wage since I had a stable income from my business ventures.

Huan Lin: What differences did you observe between securing an internship in the Chinese and German media industries?
Tong Ling: I noticed that German television stations tend to adopt a more inclusive approach toward interns. They view internships as learning opportunities and don’t require you to have extensive related experience or perfectly aligned skills. In contrast, Chinese companies tend to have higher expectations for interns. They evaluate candidates based on their university, major, awards, work experience, and even their prior internships to determine if they are a good fit and meet their standards of excellence.

Huan Lin: Did you have any interesting discoveries during your internship? Can you compare the media industry in China and Germany?
Tong Ling: One thing I noticed is that they love gossip. Whether in the office or during lunch, there were always stories about who the boss was dating or what annoying things a particular employee had done. But I guess gossip is universal in workplaces worldwide. Another difference is their highly defined division of labor, almost to a strict degree, especially for full-time employees. In China, a single employee might take on multiple roles within one or more projects—for instance, creating posters, editing videos, or even helping other departments with design tasks. However, in Germany, every task has a specific person responsible for it. For example, those who write press releases know nothing about designing posters. Lastly, they don’t work overtime. If you’re still in the office at 5:30 p.m., your manager might urge you to go home because there’s no extra budget for overtime pay.

Huan Lin: As an Asian student, what challenges did you face during your internship?
Tong Ling: The biggest challenge was language, especially in terms of written expression. While my German skills were sufficient for formal press releases, the platforms I managed, such as Instagram, catered to younger audiences, requiring me to use popular slang or trendy phrases. This was difficult for me as I hadn’t lived in Germany long enough to fully immerse myself in its youth culture. However, I overcame this challenge by observing my team and learning from them.

Huan Lin: What aspects of this job did you like or admire the most?
Tong Ling: One was the equal communication. Everyone was encouraged to express their thoughts and work-related concerns. Supervisors genuinely cared about every employee, including interns. For instance, my department head frequently asked if I enjoyed my current tasks and if I was learning anything. And they didn’t just ask—they took action. For example, I often worked on promotional video editing, as that was my strong suit, but I wanted to gain more experience in writing press releases. After I expressed this, my supervisor adjusted my workload accordingly. Another thing I appreciated was the open and relaxed work atmosphere. The Leipzig Book Fair that year left a deep impression on me. The staff area backstage felt like a giant tea party or a quieter gathering. Not only was there an abundance of free snacks and drinks, but everyone genuinely enjoyed their work and their conversations with each other. This created a lighthearted and engaging environment where I could fully immerse myself in my tasks.

Huan Lin: Why didn’t you stay in the German media industry after your internship?
Tong Ling: There were two main reasons. Personally, after the internship ended, I had to deal with my divorce, which left me with little time or energy to look for jobs or pursue another internship. Professionally, it’s extremely challenging for non-European media students to secure jobs in Germany. While their requirements for interns are relatively lenient, they have very high expectations for full-time employees. They emphasize strong practical skills and the ability to adapt quickly to company operations. I did apply for several jobs, but the interview results weren’t great. German media organizations tend to prefer candidates with similar cultural backgrounds to ensure seamless communication. Ultimately, I decided to return to China to continue my career development.